Inheritance Tax, Pension and Planning Guides

Tax-free pension lump sum: how the 25% works in 2026/27

You can usually take 25% of your pension tax-free, up to £268,275. See when you can take it, how the rest is taxed, and how to avoid emergency tax.

11 min read Inheritance tax

Inheritance tax threshold 2026/27: how much can you leave tax-free?

The inheritance tax threshold is £325,000, or £500,000 with your home and £1m for couples. 2026/27 rules, worked examples and the 2027 changes.

14 min read Choosing an adviser

Independent vs restricted financial advice: what the FCA rules say

What independent and restricted financial advice mean under FCA rules, what an adviser must tell you, how many firms are each, and how to check yours.

12 min read Pensions and retirement

How much do I need to retire in the UK? The 2026 numbers

A comfortable retirement costs £45,400 a year for one person and £62,700 for two. See the pension pot you need, with worked examples for 2026/27.

10 min read Choosing an adviser

Do I need a financial adviser? When advice is required, and when it is a choice

Advice is only legally required in a few cases. See when UK adults use a financial adviser, the free alternatives, typical costs and how to check one.

11 min read Choosing an adviser

What are the benefits of using a financial adviser? What the evidence shows, and the trade-offs

What UK research says about the benefits of using a financial adviser, from wealth and tax to peace of mind, plus the costs and limits to weigh up.

13 min read Retirement and life

Retiring from work without retiring from life: purpose, identity and routine

Why the end of work can change more than your income, what research says about purpose and routine in retirement, and how people think about the financial side.

7 min read Inheritance tax

Trusts and family wealth: the main trust types and how they are taxed

Bare, interest in possession and discretionary trusts explained, with the IHT, income tax and CGT rules that apply to each in 2026/27, and their costs.

8 min read Inheritance tax

Pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027: what is changing

From 6 April 2027 unused pensions count towards your estate for inheritance tax. What changes, what stays outside, who pays, and what to do now.

8 min read Pensions and retirement

Pension consolidation: when combining your pensions works, and when it doesn't

The case for merging old pension pots, the situations where it backfires, the pensions you cannot move, what it usually costs and how to go about it.

5 min read Tax planning

Earning over £100,000: the higher earner's guide for 2026/27

The £100k taper, the 45% threshold, pensions, childcare, savings and what an independent adviser looks at. Sourced, plain English, no jargon.

13 min read Inheritance tax

Inheritance tax on estates over £1 million: the reliefs and exemptions, explained

The reliefs, exemptions and structures that matter most once your estate passes £1 million: allowances, gifts, trusts, charity and the 2027 pension change.

9 min read Pensions and retirement

SIPP vs SSAS: how the two pension wrappers compare

Where each pension structure shines, how a SIPP and a SSAS differ, who each tends to suit, and what the difference means for business owners.

6 min read Inheritance tax

IHT and business relief: what changes in 2026

The new rules on business and agricultural relief from 6 April 2026, who is affected, the timeline, and what the changes mean for business owners.

8 min read Tax planning

Capital gains tax in 2026/27: rates, exemptions, timing

What's changed this tax year, the 18% and 24% rates, the £3,000 exemption and business asset disposal relief, and how disposal timing affects what you keep.

7 min read Inheritance tax

The seven-year gifting rule, explained properly

How potentially exempt transfers work, taper relief myths, the yearly gift exemptions, and when gifts genuinely leave your estate for inheritance tax.

7 min read Tax planning